Cuss out LeBron James, lose your livelihood — PJ's coffee takes franchise after Twitter post
Lives can be ruined and, as a New Orleans business owner discovered, jobs can be lost if social media platforms take issue with your opinions.
PJ’s Coffee tread on First Amendment free speech guarantees when the lifted the franchise from a New Orleans man who insulted LeBron James over his ongoing racist rants this week. (Photo: PJ’s Coffee promotional photo)
Got a beef with LeBron James? (Who reads us and doesn’t take issue with the gazillionaire ball-bouncer?)
Well, if you do, make sure you keep it clean when responding to him on Twitter.
Social media has increasingly become a space where any opinion or statement can and will be used against you. Lives can be ruined and, in the case of a New Orleans business owner, how you pay the mortgage and put food on the table can be ripped from you.
Stephen Bruno Jr. is a Louisiana man who, up until recently, operated a PJ’s Coffee franchise in New Orleans.
Following weeks of anti-cop tweets, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers posted a message on Facebook that said “Protect our Young Black Women & Men!” — presumably from rampant police brutality James thinks he sees in the U.S.
Bruno Jr. had enough, and replied with an insult, telling James to “Eat a d***.” He actually used an eggplant emoji, generally accepted in the online community as representative of a penis.
The response was noticed by other Facebook users and went viral on Twitter after one user posted screenshots of Bruno Jr.’s comment alongside a description of his employment as a PJ’s Coffee franchisee. Numerous users began tagging PJ’s coffee in the post, and soon, the chain responded.
“PJ’s Coffee does not tolerate hatred or disrespect of any kind,” the coffee chain said on its official Twitter account. “The words used by Stephen Bruno Jr. were inappropriate and uncalled for. Our PJ’s Coffee Brand and our locations take pride in supporting the diverse communities in which we serve. Stephen Bruno Jr. has been removed as a franchisee from the locally owned and operated franchise location.”
The incident is another chapter in the ongoing debate over cancel culture — woke efforts to organize boycotts and to push the removal from social media platforms of those who make comments the Fascist Left does not like. It's also part of a trend of businesses being thrust into the fray on cultural and social justice issues when employees or those associated with their brands make public comments that produce an uproar.
The incident occurred as James faced backlash of his own for a recent response to the shooting of a black teenager in Columbus, Ohio. Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, was seen on body cam video in the midst of attempting to stab a 22-year-old black woman, the daughter of a woman who runs the foster child program where Bryant was living. The officer opened fire and killed Bryant, likely saving the life of the woman who was attacked.
LA Lakers forward LeBron James posted another racist tweet this week touting the false narrative of rampant police violence toward black people. A nasty response from a coffee franchise owner got the man removed from his livelihood. (Photo: Darrelle Lincoln/Total Pro Sports)
James tweeted in response to the shooting with a picture of the officer, writing, “YOU’RE NEXT. #ACCOUNTABILITY.” James later deleted the post, following up with an apology, but with an explanation.
“I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police,” James said. “I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate — This isn’t about one officer. it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Strangely enough, James still has his job and his livelihood. The Lakers apparently do not care if the so-called superstar essentially threatened the life and safety of a police officer.
Reaction to Bruno’s firing was divided online, with some applauding PJ’s while others claimed Bruno had become the latest victim of "wokeness".
"PJ's needs to eat a d***," seethed one unimpressed reader, repeating the eggplant emoji that Bruno posted. "Given Lebron James' behavior lately, Bruno's tweet was appropriate. It's a shame you had to involve yourselves in protected free speech like this."
This isn’t the first time that someone has faced consequences just for responding to James. An Idaho deputy marshal faced an investigation after posting an online video mocking James’ response to the shooting.
“The Bellevue Marshal’s Office is aware of the extreme controversy regarding Deputy Marshal Silvester’s viral TikTok. The statements made do NOT represent the Bellevue Marshal’s Office. The Bellevue Marshal’s Office always demands that our Deputies engage with our citizens in a friendly and professional manner,” the marshal’s office said in a statement.
“This NOT how we expect our Deputies to act on duty or use city time. This is a personnel issue that is being dealt with internally. We would like to thank everyone that took time to reach out to us. We greatly value our relationship within our wonderful community.”
The officer involved was placed under administrative leave but has since landed himself a book deal with Di Angelo Publications.
The woke community is incensed by that, too.